7 Factors of User Experience

User Experience is how a user feels about using a service or product such as a website, computer application, or mobile app. This feeling can vary from being delightful, satisfactory to an outright indifference, or “best ignored”, thus becoming the reason for the success or otherwise of the product or service. Several factors can influence how a user feels about the usage of a product or service.

A widely held belief among UX practitioners is that seven factors combine to determine the User Experience. These range from the ease of use, to being inclusive in design for all kinds of users, to the enrichment that a user feels in using the product or service. A finely designed product or service would be one which does justice to each of the seven factors fairly. The seven factors are:

1. Valuable
   When a user feels richer and rewarded using a product or service, value is assured. Whenever a product or service solves a problem or makes life easier and better, the user perceives it to be delivering value. The product or service must deliver value to the organization which creates it and to the user who uses or buys it, throughout the life-cycle of the product or service.
2. Accessible
   A product or service that is meant for all should be accessible by all, including those with disabilities. Accessibility is about designing an experience that can be accessed by all users, irrespective of whether some of those are disabled. When users feel that the organization cares for all, the brand benefits tremendously.
3. Desirable
   A product or service that helps a user be what s/he aspires to be is a desirable one. Desirability is conveyed in design through branding, image, identity, aesthetics, and emotional design.
4. Useful
   A product or service that fulfills a purpose will be useful to many and is therefore worth releasing for wide adoption.
5. Findable
   Findable refers to the idea that the product must be easy to find, and in the instance of digital and information products, the content within them must be easy to find, too.
6. Credible
   Credibility relates to the ability of the users to trust in the product or service that they are provided.
7. Usable
   Usability is about enabling users to achieve their end objective with a product effectively and efficiently.